The Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC-17 for the Americas (RPM-AMS) took place in Asunción, Paraguay from 22 to 24 February 2017,
preceded by the Regional Development Forum for the Americas (RDF-AMS) on 21 February 2017. Both events were organized
at the kind invitation of the Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (CONATEL) of
Paraguay.

In line with Resolution 31 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010), the Regional Preparatory
Meeting (RPM) aims at engaging the membership in the preparations of the
World Telecommunication Development Conference 2017 (WTDC-17) in order to
achieve regional coordination before the conference itself. It also seeks
to identify issues at the regional level that need to be addressed to
foster the development of telecommunications and ICTs, taking into account
the most pressing needs faced by the Member States and Sector Members of
the region.

Regional Development Forums provide an opportunity for high-level dialogue,
cooperation and partnerships among telecommunication and ICT policy-makers,
regulators, industry, academia, regional and international development
agencies and organizations on specific regional telecommunication and ICT
issues.

The RPM-AMS was attended by 166 participants representing 19 Member States and 2 observer Member
States from other regions, 7 ITU‑D Sector Members
and 4 observer Sector Members from other regions.

RPM-AMS approved five Regional Initiatives for 2018-2021, as follows:

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Communications

Spectrum Management and Transition to Digital Broadcasting

Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure, especially in Rural and Neglected Areas, and Strengthening of Broadband Access to Services and Applications

Accessibility and Affordability for an Inclusive and Sustainable Americas Region

RPM-AMS approved modifications to the preliminary draft
WTDC‑17 Declaration contained in Annex 2 of the
Report by the Chairman
.

RPM-AMS considered five contributions on the preliminary draft
ITU‑D contribution to the ITU Strategic Plan for 2020-2023
and four contributions to the preliminary draft ITU‑D Action
Plan 2018-2021 (including Study Group Questions). On the basis of
these contributions presented, it was agreed to continue to develop
a common proposal for the Americas region for the upcoming TDAG
meeting and for WTDC‑17.

Regarding streamlining resolutions, the participants took note of
the available guidelines proposed by the TDAG Correspondence Group
on Streamlining WTDC Resolutions and the guidelines proposed by the
Argentine Administration.

Outcomes of RPMs will be consolidated at the inter-regional
coordination meeting and discussed at TDAG 2017 in May. The
outcomes of TDAG will be submitted to WTDC-17 as draft documents
for consideration.

Pre-registration will be carried out exclusively online through the Focal Points designated by each administration and entity entitled to participate.
Online registration is now openat the following website: http://www.itu.int/go/itudreg

On-site registration will begin on Monday, 20 Feburary 2017 at 14:00h at the event venue. Pre-registered delegates will only need to bring
their letter of confirmation and a photo ID (passport, driving license, etc.). Any participant registering directly on-site must present a letter of
accreditation from their respective Designated Focal Point.

The role of a registration Focal Point is to handle registration formalities for his/her respective administration/entity. The list of Designated Focal
Points (DFPs) can be accessed using a TIES log-in at this address.

When needed, visa support must also be requested to the host country by the Designated Focal Point. The contact details for the person from the host
country dealing with visa support are:

Please allow enough time for the visa to be processed. Additional information concerning visas is available from the RPM-AMS website.

If your Administration/Entity does not have a Designated Focal Point or wishes to modify the contact details and/or change the Designated Focal Point, you
are kindly requested to send an official letter from an authorized official to the BDT Meetings Registration Service (by fax to +41 22 730 5545/+41 22 730
5484 or by email to: BDTMeetingsRegistration@itu.int) providing the updated details: the person's
family name, given name and email address.

Within the budget available, one fellowship per country may be granted to participants from countries with a GDP per capita less than USD 2 000, with priority to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), on a first-come, first-served basis.

Fellowship applications, limited to one full or two partial fellowships per eligible country, must be authorized by the relevant Administration of the ITU Member State and be submitted before the deadline (25 January 2017).

In order to maximize the participation of eligible Member States within the very limited budget, and taking into account the large number of fellowship requests, an appropriate daily subsistence allowance intended to cover the cost of accommodation, meals and miscellaneous expenses will be provided. ITU will also provide an economy class air ticket by the most direct route.

Please note that you will only receive the fellowship request form after your registration has been submitted.

The approved and signed fellowship form must be returned to the Fellowship Service no later than 25 January 2017.

Your contributions to the Regional Preparatory Meetings are the basis of its work.

Contributions must be submitted using the online template available at this webpage in the languages of the meeting. Please attach the original Word version of your contribution to the online submission form to ensure that all hyperlinks, graphics and tables are correctly displayed.

In accordance with provision 12.1 of WTDC Resolution 1 (Rev. Dubai, 2014), the deadlines for the submission of contributions have been set as follows: